US2395789A

US2395789A - Operating mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2395789A
Application number: US542929A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oakley John
Original assignee: Perkins Machine & Gear Co
Current assignee: Perkins Machine & Gear Co; PERKINS MACHINE AND GEAR Co
Priority date: 1944-06-30
Filing date: 1944-06-30
Publication date: 1946-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 1963-02-26

Description

Feb. 1946. I J. OAKLEY v I 2,395,789

OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 30, 1944 'INVENTOR. T

Patented Feb. 26, 1946 OPERATING MECHANISM .l'ohn Oakley, Springfield, -Mass., assignor "to Perkins Machine and Gear Company, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 30, 1944, Serial No. 542,929

2 Claims.

I Materials or fabrics 'to be washed are of dif-" ferent textures and fineness so that fine and delicate fabrics are injured by the violent agitation necessary for the coarser and more rugged materials.

According to this invention, a driving mechanism is constructed and arranged whereby an agitator shaft may be oscillated back and forth through various angles thereby making it possible to vary the angle of oscillations from zero to maximum so that the agitating action will accommodate various fabrics and accomplish the washing function without violence which tends to injure the fabrics. jj

It will be understood that various changesand modifications may be made in the form of the invention in order to adapt the mechanism for various purposes. .The invention is described and illustrated for purposes of disclosure, it not being intended to be limited to the form thereof described and illustrated.

In the drawing the figure is a partial plan View of a washing machine tub having a driving mechanism embodying the principles of the invention associated therewith.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail the invention will be fully described.

A tub such as usually forms a part of a washing machine is shown at 2 which has a bottom wall 4.

A casing 6 is secured to the tub in the usual manner and it has a cover, not shown, which member, is moved back and forth the pinion. Hi

- varied.

' member I8 is rotated clockwise-by themotor.

may be secured thereto in any desired manner'to provide with the casing a leak proof housing.

An agitator shaft 3 is oscillatable in the casing and extends upwardly into the tub for carrying an agitator or paddle which may be of any desired form. g

A pinion or gear I0 is fixed to the shaft 8 and a rack l2 in mesh therewith is guided for reciprovarying the extent of reciprocation of the memby. various means but for illustrative purposes a cations by any suitable means such as guide members l4.

As the rack, which may be called a driving is oscillated back'and forth for imparting oscillatory movements to the shaft 8 and the agitator thereon. It will be appreciated that by ber l2 that the extent of oscillations or angle of oscillations of the. pinion Ill and shaft 8 are A shaft 16 rotatable in the .casing'extends upwardly of the tub for operating a wringer of usual construction. A rotatable member fixed on said shaft I6 is in mesh with a worm 20. having a shaft 22 that is journalledin the casing.

A. coupling 24 operatively connects the shaft 22 to a shaft 26 of a motor 28. Said motor is carried by a frame or support 30 that is-connected .to

the tub or casing. r For purpose of disclosure, but notby way, of limitation, it will be assumed that the rotatable Links 32 and 34'have inner ends pivotally connected at 3B and their outer ends are. pivotally connected at 38 and 40 to the rotatable andreciprocable members l8 and l2 respectively. There may be a roller 42 associated with the pivotal connection 35.

A guide or adjusting member 44, is provided that is movable in and'out or towards and away from a plane passing through the axes of said shafts 8 and I6. Said member 44 may be moved rack 46 is provided, which is movable, back and forth in the casing, to'which the said member 44 is secured.

A toothed member 48 in mesh with the rack is fixed to a shaft 50 journalled in a bracket 52 and may have a manually engageable member 54. As the shaft 50 is rotated in one direction or the other said rack is moved up or down or in and out to adjust the position. of guide 44.

With the guide 44 in the position shown, the rotatable member H3 in clockwise rotation causes link 32 to swing link 34 on its pivotal connection 40 without moving the said rack. This is the zero position of the'member 44 producing zero oscillations of shaft 8. a v i To produce reciprocating "movements of the rack the guide 44 is moved inwardly or upwardl from the position shown and to produce maxi mum movements of said rack, guide 44 is move to its innermost or uppermost position.

In an upper position of the member 44 or position upwardly from that shown the connection 38 as it is rotated clockwise and upwardly tion 38 through link 32 moves the connection 36' upwardly towards the left and away from the guide 44 causing link 34 to swing on connection 40 and pull the rack to the left until connection 38 again commences its pushing cycle.

Thus through substantially one-half the path of movement of the connection 38 the connection 36 is moved onto and along guide 44 so that link 34 moves the rack I2 in one direction while through the remaining path of movement of-said connection 38 the connection 36 is moved upwardly and away 'from' guide '44 so that through-- links 32 and 34 the rack is moved in an opposite direction.

The guide 44 being in zero position, as shown, as it is moved inwardly or upwardly the action isFsuch that the extent of reciprocation and thereby the degree of oscillation of the shaft 8 is increased to the maximum according to the position of :said guide.

For'maximum angle of oscillation of the shaft I2 the member 44*is located in its innermost position.

A stop 60 is provided which is engageable by connections 36 in its uppermost position and may be. constructed in any desired manner so as to prevent straightening out the links whereby in the pushing cycle of the connection'38 the connection '36 will move downwardly to and traverse the guide member.

The construction is such that the extent of reciprocation of the. rack and thereby the angle of oscillation of shaft 8 may be varied as may be desired from zero to maximum and at the same time there may be a dwell at opposite ends of movement of the rack depending in extent on'the specific construction employed.

The invention may be embodied in other speciiic forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Operating mechanism for oscillating the agitator shaft of a washing'machine through various angles comprising in combination, a support having a driven shaft oscillatable therein and drive shaft rotatable therein, a gear on said oscillatable shaft, a rack in mesh with said gear guided for reciprocation towards and away from said drive shaft, .a drive member on said drive shaft,.a link having an outer end pivotally connected to the drive member eccentrically of the axis of rotation thereof and a link having an outer end pivctally connected to said rack, a pivotal connection between the inner ends of said links, an elongated guide having a face engageable by said pivotal connection which is disposed substantially parallel to a plane passing through the axes of said drive and driven shafts, and means for moving said guide towards and away from said plane.

2. Operating, mechanism for oscillating the agitator shaft of a washing machine through various angles comprising in combination, a support having a driven shaft oscillatable therein and drive shaft rotatable therein, a gear on said oscillatable shaft, a rack in mesh with said gear guided in said support for reciprocation in a plane substantially parallel to a plane passing through the longitudinal axes of said shafts and transversely to said axes and towards and away from saiddrive shaft, a guide member movable in the support transversely to said plane hav ing a face spaced from and substantially paral- 49 lel to saidplane, means for moving said guide member towards and away from said plane, a link having an outer end pivoted to the drive membereccentrically relativeto the axis of rotation thereof, a link having an outer end pivotally connected to said rack, connecting means pivotally connecting the inner ends of said links, the links being swingable on their pivotal connections with the drive member and rack whereby thepivotally connected inner ends thereof may move towards and away from said guide whereby as the drive member rotates the connecting means isalternately moved away from and towards the guide to bring about reciprocations of the rack and oscillations of the oscillatable shaft.

JOHN OAKLEY.